By Jeremy Rutherford (The Athletic)
Katie Bannister had a dream in high school.
“I told my parents, ‘I’m going to be the first female coach in the NHL,’” she remembers.
In reality, Bannister never reached that dream. She’s a teacher in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and about three nights a week, she coaches a house league of 56 girls ages 4 to 8.
“Coach Katie. That’s what they call me around the rink,” she says. “I’m like, ‘Aww.’”
Coach Katie may not be barking orders at St. Louis Blues captain Brayden Schenn and Co., but without her, husband Drew Bannister may never have been the club’s new interim coach. Not only has she provided a home base for a family with three hockey-playing daughters, but she’s also been a sounding board for Bannister when it comes to sophisticated conversations about how his teams in Sault Ste. Marie, San Antonio, Springfield and now St. Louis are performing.
“Yeah, I can’t imagine most couples having those conversations,” Katie says. “I love coaching, and every sport I was in, I was always analyzing. I watch behind the play, I watch mannerisms, whatever it is. Drew will say, ‘What did you think of last night’s game?’ and when I give my ideas, he’ll say, ‘I see what you’re saying,’ or, ‘I disagree, this is why I did that.’
“We both know the game, and I’ll never pretend to know it better, but I definitely watch as a coach. I’m his eye in the sky from far away.”
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